Gene drives likely to be foiled by rapid rise of resistance

A study in fruit flies suggests that existing approaches to gene drives using CRISPR/Cas9, which aim to spread new genes within a natural population, will be derailed by the development of mutations that give resistance to the drive. Jackson Champer, Philipp W. Messer, and colleagues at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York report these findings July 20, 2017 in PLOS Genetics.